Wichita eagle., 1887-01-06


CLASSY EVaters-The First Deadly Peril
Walls of Water-A Yar,ning Abyss
Safe at Last.
We ran out Of the inlet straight to sc,
for fifteen miles, and then threw our line
for cod. It was New Jersey catboat, anC
there wsro Ten Of Us in her open cabin
mon, women and children. The wind diet
quite away as cur lines went over, and th'
ripples passed OF old oceans face and lef
it as smooth Is glass. There was not {
breath of air oloft, and the July sun beat
down with the strength Of fire. 1t wa:
just the day for q thunder storm, but nc
one gave it q thought
Noon came, and We ate our lunch. OUl
E.les were ready again, when there was {
low growl to seaward, and we looked up tC
note the ed.o of black cloud coming out
OF tho glaasy waters. It had & length OF Ten
miles and in FIVE rlinutes it had grown
another foot in height all elcng. It was g
ragged, evil looking cloud, and VIC seemed
spell bound as we watched il. Our boat
captain, who was captain and crew ia one,
UaS the first to move. The boom of the
single sail was swinging out over the water.
He hauled this in and dodblo rccfod the
sail. Whom he had finished tho cloud had
climbed quarter OF tho way up the hori-
zon. All along the upper edge thero was a
ragged fringe. Below this fringe was a
streak OF blue-black. Below that was mid
night blackness, and now and then fire
darted through it and there came hoarse
growl. Is if fro;n q hundred wild beasts in
chorus.
Ten pale and anxious faces were turned
to the captain. He quietly put On his rub
Dor coat and ou'wester, and then stood
with hands clasped behind bis back and
watched TIE cloud and surveyed the sea-
We were alone. Look which way you
would thero was 10 sign of sail The black
cloud would roll down and won't its fury on
this solitary object Had we been moving
toward the land it would have been sono-
thing 10 encourage the women ard chill
dTen but a blazing match held a.Oft had
not the slightest flicker
By and bye the caPtin rove lifeline CT
each side of the centerboard tho length Of
the standing room. No one asked what that
line was for. Even the l0-ycar-old children
seemed 10 know. It was only after this
that they began crying, and that sobs were
heard from the women. BIT they wept
quietly, as if fearful of breaking the dreadful
eilence. That bronze faced cGptain-a man
who had followed the sea for u score OF
years-had not spoken of danger, but every
body fully realized the situation 4 storm
cn land is a fuTy-rJlsiiDg, roaring, tearing
over field and through wood to exhaust it
self. A storm at sea is a thousand devils let
loose 10 roar and scream and shrek around
you. They cell to their assistance the
treachcrous white csjs-the hcaving bill
lows-the mad rollers which move along
with such majesty and strikes the stoutest
man-o'-war with a force TO make her reel
and culver
Higher climbed the cloud. The growl is
now changed to hoarse rumblcs and heavy
crashes and tho waters around Us seemed
uneasy. Il was painful for one to look at tho
faces as hands clasped the ifelines. Tho
children had ceased to Weep, and were now
struggling with a terror which made their
faces look old and haggard. They did not
look from one to the other, but stared into
vacancy, like one who had lost ell hope.
The women no longer had tears in their
eyes. Now and then they seemed TO choke
with n breath, and their faces were SO
white that one might have thought them
carved Of marble. Il was strange that
neither men nor women sought to comfort
each other. There were husbands anG
wives-lnothcrS and children Husbands
and wives wero as silent toward each other
as il they lad never met; children chung to
the rope as if their lives depended on their
grasp alone. What moclIeTy for a hubSand
TO whisper 10 lis wife not to be afraid-to
his child that he would save him!
Higher and higher climbed the cloud, and
its fury could be seen in the dark green
patches upon It's surface. They looked
down upon is ii Il balcfui way, and now
and then they emitted flashes of lightning
like The tongues Of sarpents darting in and
ont before the deadly fangs are buried in
the flesh.
The captain stood Is the tilIar lis back
to the peo2le-his face to the storm. Look
ing past him, / Suddenly saw q white cloud
rise from ,he water under the dark cloud.
Then there was a terrible Kissing and roar
ing, great air bubbles began to bre2l, on
the surface around Us, and the captlia
faced abc2t, gripped the tiilcr and cast lis
eye over mast and sail. The next moment
the storm struck Us. Il seemed as if the
catboat WAS lifted into The air and vhiried
'round Gnd round. The wind ravod and
sh-ic&ei il a thousand different yoices-the
rain struck US with deluge, and the play
OF tGe lightning was such that one could
not keep his eyes open. Of sudden tho
boat hcoled to starboard until the waves
hisscd over the wash board-thon TO port
until il seemed rs If she must so ovar-then
she s>ttl3l on her keel and plunged into an
abyss and tho first peril was over. With
one hand claspirg the lifeline, seized
bucket and began bailing with the other.
1t was dniEht-blGclncss Ground Us, and
such was The fury Of the wind cnd tho
crash of thunder that thousand voices
shouting in chorus ct the bow OF the boat
could not have been heard aft
BY and brc the atmosphere cleared bit
and | looked Up. Hands were clutching tho
life lines with 4 grip which nothing could
Ioosen-heGGS were bowed and hidden.
The captain was st his post, face looking
pinched, as from hunger, and eyes showing
a sort of dumb dopair IS his car took il the
growing and bellowing OF the great wave
behind him. | gave one look astcrn, noted
the walls of water seeming to hover over the
stern and making ready to break aboard,
and | shut lay eyes and turned my head.
/ felt the watcr in the standing room wash
as high cS my ankle. and instinct warned
me to keep on bailing. But for what 1
throw ont the rain alone would have filed
Us in half 2n hour.
A man CT the gailows may measure time.
He has only 50 many minutes 20 live. 4
man who fights The bowling gaIc and the
mad sea gives no thought 10 time. He may
be overcome il five minutos-he may live
an hour. The screams OF the storm were
sill in my oars-the spray and spr1ne and
rain still seemed determined TO swamp us
the captain stu stood at his post, with that
sanle look on his face, when the boat seemed
carried a hundred feet up slope-rushed
down into an abyss SO fast aud SO far that
the gale could not follow her, and then she
Wallowed in froth Skinned a sea over her